How to Create a Newsletter That People Will Actually Read

Do you have a newsletter? Are people reading it? Do you really need a newsletter?

Re-examine your business’ goals. Are you trying to increase the number of your leads? Do you want to close more deals? Retain more customers or upsell customers? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then a newsletter could work for you.

Newsletter content

Your newsletter subscribers probably don’t want to hear about your products or services. Keep in mind, for a balanced newsletter, your content should be 90% educational and 10% promotional.

Don’t self-promote. Focus on including content that educates your readers. If you blog, your newsletter is a good place to re-use your blog. (Remember, your blogs should be educational!)

Use creative email subject lines

Even if your newsletter subscribers sign up for your newsletter, there is no guarantee that they will open the newsletter email when it arrives in their inbox.

Have a unique, creative subject line for each newsletter you send out.

Include one call-to-action

Think about what you want your readers to do. Do you want them to click on a link to read the rest of your blog on your website? Or do you want them to share the newsletter with a friend?

Keep design and copy minimal

Often, newsletters are very cluttered. This will turn off your readers and your newsletter won’t get read.

Short, concise stories will give your readers a quick article that they will read. If the article is your blog and it is long, include a link back to your website. Give them just a taste of your content and let them click and learn more.

White space helps keep the newsletter visually uncluttered. Include images that relate to the article and help tell the story. These are eye catching and will encourage people to read your newsletter.

Do you have a newsletter? What tips do you have for creating a successful newsletter?

Bring Back Your Former Clients

It’s happened to every business owner….a client stops working with you and you don’t know why. For small business owners and solo entrepreneurs who have a small client base, this loss can be distressing.  Not only can this client loss be financially painful, but a small business owner often takes the loss personally.

The good news is that if this customer purchased from you once, they are likely to purchase from you again. It is much easier to sell a former client who has already has a positive experience working with you than it is to earn the trust of a prospective client.

To regain your former clients, you must implement an organized strategy to encourage them to return and do business with you again.  Here are some steps you can take to bring them back.

End the Working Relationship on a Good Note

Your client may stop working with you simply because the project ended. Or they may just cancel your contract without giving you a reason. However your working relationship ends, ask for a meeting or send a survey where you can get some feedback on your work. Use this meeting or survey to find out the reason your client is leaving.

If you discover that they are unhappy with your work, this is the time for you to apologize and fix the problem. This may be enough to keep your client happy and have them remain with you. If your client is leaving for reasons outside of your control, respect their decision.

Send a thank you note to each client that leaves and thank them for their business and encourage them to return in the future.

Continue Reaching Out

Keep in touch with your former clients on a regular basis. Send them your quarterly newsletter. Put them on your holiday card list. Emailing and snail mailing things to your former customers on a regularly is a gentle way of reminding them that you are still there and available to help them.

Invite Them Back

Invite your former clients back. We suggest you try a direct mail campaign urging former clients to come back.  Your mail campaign could offer them a discount for a specific product or service.

Putting a plan in place to say goodbye to clients and staying in touch with them is a way to stay top of mind with them so they’ll return to you when they need your services. 

Are You Using Newsletters?

Why should you bother writing a newsletter? Are newsletters relevant in today's information marketing world?

If you are not doing a newsletter, you should be. A newsletter can secure new business, repeat business and create many connections. It can establish you as the expert in your field. A well-crafted newsletter contains more details than a blog but not as much as an eBook. It is something that can be read in a few minutes over a coffee, and most importantly, is worth reading.

No one will read everything you write, but when they have that need for your product or service they will remember you because you’ve kept top of mind with them.

How often should newsletters go out? Keep in mind, writing and publishing a newsletter takes a great deal of time. Some small businesses do produce a newsletter once a month. For others, once a quarter is sufficient. Like blogging, once you pick a schedule, stick to it.

Should your newsletter be electronic or paper? Email is the easiest of course. A print newsletter involves a commitment to production, design and budget but can be extremely successful. You have to choose which format is best for your small business.

Blue Dog Marketing assists many clients with writing and producing newsletters. Let us help you!

3 Simple Marketing Tactics to Attract New Clients

Some small businesses invest a great deal of their marketing budget into advertising, which can be expensive and not always reach your target audience. Radio, television and newspaper ads are great ways to get your message out to as many people as possible.

However, this mass marketing eliminates the personal connection you want to create with your customers. Radio, television and print ads are usually very general in content and used for informing people about sales and promotions.

As a small business, your marketing should be about building relationships with your customers. There is a place for mass media, but if your budget is tight, here are three simple marketing tactics you can immediately implement.

1.     Newsletters – Collect the email addresses of your customers when they purchase your product. Use this information to stay in contact with your customers and keep them informed about what you’re doing, new products, promote sales and events, and even introduce new employees.

2.     Network – get out of your office and meet new contacts. Attend local Chamber of Commerce events. Join an association and get involved. You’ll meet potential new clients and alliance partners at networking events.

3.     Blog – Become the “expert” in your field by blogging about your business. Your voice will be heard by many people when you blog.

Marketing is necessary for your business to grow. Implement several different tactics consistently to see results.